Christ's certain and sudden appearance to judgment. By Thomas Vincent, sometime Minister of Maudlins…

3. The third Antecedent to the righteous Judgment, will be their meeting one with another, Mat. 24. 31. The Angels will be sent to gather the Elect together, 2 Thes. 2. 1. I besee••• you Brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him: the Saints will be all gathered together, and we shall be gathered with them, if we be found in that number: there we shall meet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the holy Kings, and Prophets, and Apostles, and Martyrs, and Holy Men, who have lived, in all Generations: and all these in another hue than when they lived upon the Earth: they will arise like so many shining Suns out of the earth; O how shall we be delighted with the sight of such a glorious train and company▪ when we see the Image and picture of the Lord upon them drawn so to the life? what sweet greetings shall we have, and mutual congratulations of our old acquaintance in the flesh, who were with us acquainted with the Lord? and is this the end of our hearing and fasting and Praying, and Self-denial, and Mortification, and the poor services we have done for the Lord? Is this the issue of our pains and labour: O happy we that ever we repented, and believed, and closed with Jesus Christ! O happy we that laid up our Treasure, and waited for our glory and happiness till this time.

4. The fourth Antecedent is that the Righteous shall be caught up together in the air: all the righteous shall be caught up, they that are raised from the dead, and they that remain alive upon the earth on that day, 1 Thes. 4. 16, 17. The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the Air: we read of the two Witnesses which were stain: after three days and a half the Spirit of Life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, come up hither, and they ascendeth up to heaven in a cloud, &c.